Follow-up device, more particularly for machine tools



July 10, 1945. ZlEBOLz 2,380,357

FOLLOW-UP DEVICE MORE PARTICULARLY FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed y 8, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E \i W E 6 n5 ,z {726% N Q I a? k H K W E N A g M wagg- Q I! F: f \gN 9 S H. ZieboZz July 10, 1945f H. ZIEBOLZ FOLLOW-UP DEVICE MORE PARTICULARLY FOR MACHINE TOOLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .F'iled May 8, 1940 i l l'll I. I

gwuwwtom H. ZdeZwZ:

Patented July 10', I945 FOLLOW-UP DEVICE, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR MACHINE TOOLS HerbertZiebolz;

Chicago, Ill.,. assignor to Askania Regulator Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporaon of Illinois Application May 8, 1940, Serial No. 334,041.

In GermanyM 11' Claims.

The present. invention relates to pattern or template controlled mechanisms for-machine tools andathe like, in which the tool must follow a definite; contour; More particularly, the present in.- vention, relates to anumber of modified mechanisms. and systems of. those disclosed inapplicant7s; copcnding application Ser. No. 304,829, flledfNovember- 16., 1939, now Patent No. 2,254,098.

Frequently; it is desirable to provide for a constant, rate. of, relative; movement ofthe fluid jet along: the controlling: edge of the pattern or template. This will, for instance, be desirable in many cases where. the follow-up device according. to-thercopending application is to-be employed in connection with machine tools and cutting. torches- In. order to automatically control a cutting burner: or flame jet in. accordance with a predetermined. curve, it is essential tomaintain the speed; of the; fluid jet; along the controlling edge: of the pattern constant so as to achieve a constant. cutting rate.

For. this reason, according to the. present invention, additional controlling means are provided. for amotor displacing the pattern in its longitudinal direction, said additionalcontrolling means-influencing the. speed of said motor, in response to-the speed of the follow-up device, in suchm-anner thatthelinear, rate of travel or the relative movement of: the fluid jet along the controlling: edge of the pattern remainsconstant.

Suchadditional: controlling means are p ably based on thefollowing relation between the longitudinal movement of the pattern. the followupv movement and. the relative movement of the fluid jet; Considered vectorially. the velocity of the relativev movementof the jet remains constant. provided the sum of the squares. ofv the two other velocities is maintained constant, if the toolmovemen-t is perpendicular to the pattern movement.

Accordingly, it followsthat, not the speed per se, but. the squares of the speeds have to be taken into consideration. This, however, does not compli'catethe: matter if the motor displacing the" pattern in its: longitudinaldirection and the follow-up. motor are driven by a pressure fluid. as in this case the value proportional to the square of thevelocity may be derived very simply from. the pressure fluid: amount (proportional to the working speed of the motor), by means of a dynamic pressure, it being understood that the dymimicv pressure varies:v in accordance with the square of, thevelocity of; the pressure fluid and the speedoiithemotor; respectively. Hence, only a: simple. pressure system need be provided for trative purposes.

each of the two. motors, each of these pressure systems being acted upon by the respective dy-- namic pressure. The two pressure systems are addi'tively arranged and balanced by means of a counter-force, the magnitude of which represents the desired rate of the relative movement of the jet along the controlling edge of the pattern. Such counter-force may be varied in accordance. with the desired rate of travel of the fluid jet along the controlling edge.

These and other advantagesv and objects will appear from a consideration of the description, which follows, with the accompanying drawings showing embodiments of the invention for illus- It, is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined bythe appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1. is an isometric view, partly diagrammatic, and sectional, of the control and operating mechanism as applied to a tool;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view' of a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 3 is adiagram.

In the construction of Fig. 1 a. pattern, template! orthe like, to be followed or reproduced, is of any desired shape and edge contour and may be removably secured to a suitable means such as bolts 3. The slide is mounted on angle irons 4 which in turn slide on angle irons 5 secured on a stationary frame or bed 6. The work 1, in the form of a plate, out

of which the pattern contour is to b cut, is also mounted on. the. slide 2 and is held securely in place by clamps 8 or by any-other suitable means.

A cylinder 9 is mounted on. the stationary frame G and adouble-acting piston I0 is adapted to reciprocate therein by means of a rod I l,whlch latter is guided in the. end plates or cylinder heads 12. This rod H is guided at one end'l3 in the bed 6 and the other-end I l carries a tool 15 and a plate It.

The tool l5 may comprise any suitable cutting device, such as a narrow milling cutter (not shown), rotated by any suitable means, such as a motor, (not shown), or the tool may be a cutting torch 70 having. a. flexible tube l1 for air and a flexible tube I8 for acetylene orthe like.

The. plate l6 supports and directs a vertical fluid stream or jet created by the nozzle. I 9' and received in the nozzle 20. The fluid pressure medium is preferably air supplied by the flexible tube 21 and this air supply must be substantially constant.

table slide 2 by any- The air received, in the receiving nozzle 20, by means of a tube 25, controls a fluid pressure relay or regulator 22 of the well known Askania jet-pipe type which includes a movable Jet-pipe 23 pivoted at 24 and supplied with pressure fluid I preferably oil from a suitable source (not shown). The jet-pipe nozzle 23 is controlled by a differential pressure device comprising a casing 29 separated into two chambers by a diaphragm 30. The movement of the diaphragm is transmitted to the jet-pipe nozzle by means of a link 3I. The table slide 2 may be actuated by means of a hydraulic system including a piston rod 32 secured to the slide and reciprocated by a hydraulic motor having a cylinder 33.

The foregoing description corresponds to the details of construction of applicants copending application. The additional controlling means. according to the present invention, comprises two diaphragm chambers or casings 34 and 35, the diaphragms 36 and 31 of which are arranged in series and operatively connected to a controlling slide valve 33 by means of the rod 39. This slide valve 33 has two pistons 40 and II and is acted upon in the opposite direction by a spring 42 for producing a counter-force. The valve' 39 controls the supply of pressure fluid, such as oil, to the hydraulic motor, from a reservoir 43 by means of a pump 44 and pipe or conduit 45. The valve 38 thus supplies pressure fluid to the cylinder 33 through conduit 46 to operate a piston in the cylinder and move the piston rod 32, pat tern I and table slide 2 in the general direction of the arrow a. The fluid discharges from the cylinder 33 from the opposite side of the piston therein through the conduit 41 and from the valve 39 through the conduit 43 and conduit 49 back to the reservoir. It is of course obvious that, since an object of this invention is to vary the rate of travel of the table slide 2, template I and work 1, the rate of flow in the conduit 49 into the cylinder 33 and the rate of flow in the conduit 41 out of the cylinder 33, together vary, the dependent upon the extent of the throttling action of the pistons 40 and H, relative to the inlet orifices of the conduits If, for instance, a cut is made which is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the burner 10, the slide 2 will be stationary and the pistons 40 and 4| will be moved to completely close the inlet orifices of the conduits 4B and 41. This control for the pistons 40 and U will be more fully described hereafter.

The conduit 49 is provided with a constriction 5| any suitable construction, to provide a dynamic pressure in a by-pass conduit 52 and chamber- 35. The pressure in the chamber 35 is proportional to the square of the rate of travel in the piston or rod 32 of the cylinder 33, as this pressure varies with the second power of the pressure fluid passing through the constriction This pressure fluid amount, however, is directly proportional to the speed of the rod 32 and of the template.

Instead of controlling the operation of the piston III directly by the jet pipe 23, the latter indirectly controls this piston by means of a socalled auxiliary or follow-up piston 53, in the form of a sliding distributor block, in the cylinder 54, the block having opposed passages 55 so that the jet fluid controls its position in the chamber 55. The piston 53 is connected to and displaces a slide valve having two pistons 51 and 53 mounted on the rod 59. Two conduits 60 and SI lead from the cylinder 54 to the cylinder or follow-up motor 9. Two discharge conduits 52 are in communication with the return conduit 53 from the cylinder 54 and this conduit 83 is provided with a constriction 64; The dynamic pressure in the conduit 63 acts, through a by-pass conduit 65. upon the diaphragm 36 in the chamber 34. so that in this chamber the pressure varies with the square of the speed of the follow-up piston IIi.

The pressure fluid is supplied by the pump 44 through the conduit 66 and returns through the conduit 63 to the tank 43. No difficulties are encountered by deriving the dynamic pressure from the pressure fluid from the follow-up motor 9, even if its piston I0 reverses its direction during the follow-up movement. After adjustment of the initial tension of the spring 42 upon any dis turbance of the balance between the spring force and the sum of the two controlling pressures in the chambers 34 and 35, the slide pistons 40 and 4| will be displaced or adjusted and consequently the sum of said pressures will be varied until the balance is restored, i. e., until the sum of said pressures again attains the value determined by the initial tension of the spring. As is evident from the following considerations, the rate of the relative movement of the jet discharged from the nozzle I9 along the controlling edge of the pattern I remains constant if the sum of the controlling pressures in the diaphragm chambers 34 and 35 is kept constant.

The rate of the said relative movement is in avectorial sense equal to the sum S, Fig. 3, of the two speed components, namely the follow-up speeds U! and the pattern displacement speed "02. Geometrically, the vector of the velocity S is the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle, having the perpendicular sides '01 and '02, so that the sum of the squares of the two perpendicular sides is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.

Referring to Fig. 2, the pressure fluid motors for displacing the nozzles I9 and 20, on the one hand, and for displacing the pattern I, on the other hand, are each replaced by a constant speed electric motor H and I59 so that the controlling speeds of the nozzles I9 and 20 and the pattern I cannot be measured by means of the respective dynamic pressure.

For this purpose, transmission gears 81 and 63 are inserted between the electric motors 69 and H, respectively, and the nozzles I9 and 20 and the pattern I, respectively. The transmission ratio is changed by means of the servo-motors 12 and 13, respectively.

The output or actuating shafts 14 and 15 of the two transmission gears 61 and 68 respectively. are each coupled or connected with a threaded spindle 1.6 and 11 respectively and the latter are each in internal screw threaded engagement with connecting members 19 and 19, respectively. The connecting or driving members 19 and 19 are driven in such a manner that, upon rotation of the spindles 16 and 11, an axial displacement of the connecting members 19 and 19 will result, due to the screw threaded engagement.

The transmission gears 61 and 63 may be of any well known type, with a friction wheel shiftable relative thereto or a hydraulic variable speed drive. An axial displacement of the connecting member 18 will cause a unitary movement 01 the template I, work 1 and table slide 2 in the direction of the arrow (1, and an axial displacement of the connecting member 19 will cause a unitary movement of the plate I8, nozzles I9 and 20, rod

end i4 and the tool IS in the directions of the arrow 88.

It is essential that impulses be derived from the rate of speed of the two shafts 18 and 11 and that these impulses vary with the square of the speeds in order to add these two impulses and maintain their sum constant. For this purpose, a centrifugal regulator or pneumatic speedometer 8| is connected to be rotated from the shaft 1.4 by means of a driving belt 88, and a centrifugal regulator or pneumatic speedometer 82 is connected to be rotated from the shaft by means of a driving belt 84. The construction of each centrifugal regulator may, for example, comprise a type shown in Fig. 5 of applicant's prior Patent No. 2,185,970, issued January 2, 1940.

7 It is thus quite evident that the speed of rotation of the pneumatic speedometer 82 follows the rotation of the shaft 18 and consequently the movement of the nozzle l8, Upon an increase in the rate of rotation of the shaft 15, the regulator 82 will react to increase the pressure of the iiuid in the conduit 88 and in turn increases the pressure in the diaphragm chamber or casing 84. This causes a movement of the jet pipe 81 by rod 88 to regulate the pressure of the fluid on both sides of the piston 89 in the servo-motor 12 by means of conduit 88 which will adjust the speed of the transmission gear 81 by the rod 8| and connection with Fig. 1, except that in Fig. 2 the conduits 88.and 8| areconnected to both sides of a piston 88 in the servo-motor 18 controlling the transmiss on gear 88 by means of the rod 88, connected to the piston 88, and the lever I88.

It will be noted in Fig. 2 thatthe slide valve 88 y of Fig. 1 is not utilized since it is not necessaryas the return oil is not measured, but a Jet pipe relay 81 is substituted in place thereofto' control the transmission gear 81 by the sum of the two impulses in the diaphragm casings 88 and 84, which impulses are balanced by the spring |8|. Therefore, .in other .words. the spring |8| cansesthe sum of the impulses to remain constant and consequently the relative movement velocity'of the Jet discharge from the nozzle l8 travel of the work and slide must be reduced relative to the speed of travel of the work and slide when cutting a path, such as at I88, of the pattern For this purpose, referring to Fig, 1, when the nozzles l9 and 28 reach a contour I82, an increase in pressure in nozzle 28, conduit 25 and diaphragm casing 28 will result, which will force the jet pipe 23 to the left to displace the block 58 and pistons 51 and 58 to the left. This will cause a slight increased axial movement of the rod II and the torch 1.8, so that the latter can cut the contour H12 in the work 1. At the same time, this will increase the pressure in the conduit 85 and on diaphragm 88 to actuate the pistons 48 and 4| to almost close the openings to the conduits 48 and 41, thereby slowing down the longitudinal movement of the rod 82, table slide 2 and the work 1 to thus permit the torch 18 to accurately reproduce the contour M2 in the work 1. It will be observed that the pistons 51 and 58 act to throttle the openings of conduits 88 and 8| and pistons 48 and 4| act to throttle the openings of conduits 48 and 41 to thereby control the longitudinal travel of the pattern relative tosthe linear contour thereof to be cut in the work. I

The mechanism of Fig. 2 operates in the same manner to perform the same functions as in Fig. 1. The modification of Fig. 2, however, utilizes constant-speed electric-motors to drive the work slldeand the cutting torch through the intermediary of reversible and variable transmission gears 81 and 88, the latter of which are controlled and the nozzle itself along the controlling edge I of the'template also remains constant.

The operation of the mechanism is, in general, the sameas described in connection with applicant's aforesaid copending application. Thepurpose of the present invention has been described in the opening paragraphs of this speclfication and, in accordance therewith, the present invention makes it possible to reproduce any pattern such as a contour I82 in the pattern' which is to e cut in, the work 1.1 It will be chserved that such a contour has considerableilat I I oral or linear'length in a relatively short longitudinal distance .or travel. of the pattern and since the cutting torch 18 can out only so fast,

depending upon the material and thickness by the special means which have been described and the operation of which may bebriefly referred to in the following.

Assuming that the nozzles l8 and 28 reach a contour in thepattern I, such as I82, then it is necessary that the rate oftravel a of the slide 2, work 1 and pattern l be reduced. This is accomplished in that the pressure of the fluid in conduit 28 and chamber 28 willincrease momentarily which will change the axial rate of travel of shaft and the torch by an adjust,-

ment of the pistons 81 and 88, piston 88 and gear 88. This causes a change in the speed of shaft 18 which will act on the regulator 82 to increase the pressure in the conduit 88 and chamber 84. This latterwill force the Jet pipe 81 slightly against the spring IM to adjust the piston 88 and the'latter in turn the transmission gear 81 to slow down the speed of shaft 14 to ultimately decrease the rate of travel a of the table 2, pattern I and'work 1. The change in speed of shaft 14 will act on the regulator 8| to decrease the pressure in conduit '88 and in chamber 88 to equalize, with the chamber 84, the force -of the spring |8| to bring the jet pipe 81 back to its central posispeed to move the table 2, pattern I and work 1 I tn r n t ob ioustnat the rate or longitudina at a slower speed in the direction a than when a contour, such'as at- I88, is reproduced.

Obviously, the present invention is not re-' stricted to the particular embodiments thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not .-i,ndisp'ensablef that all the features of the inven- I tion be-Iused conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations.

I I claim as my invention:

1. Mechanism of the class described comprising means for directing a fluid stream under constant. pressure including two cooperating S aced nozzles between the ends of which the fluid stream passes from one into the other; a pattern cooperating by its contour with the fluid stream; means for moving said pattern in a longitudinal direction; a tool; follow-up means responsive to the pressure of the fluid in the receiving nozzle controlled by the pattern to operate the tool so that the latter will follow the contour of the pattern; and automatic control means connected to the pattern moving means, including impulse devices responsive to pressure impulses representing square functions of the speeds of the tool and the pattern, and means connected to combine the effect of the impulses on the control means, to maintain the relative speed of the pattern contour and the tool substantially constant.

2. Apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means combining the effect of the impulses comprises a summarizing device connected to apply the algebraic sum of the impulses to the control means.

3. Mechanism according to claim 1,'in which the means for moving the pattern in a longitudinal direction includes a pressure fluid motor, and in which the follow-up means includes a pressure fluid motor; and in which connected pressure responsive devices are provided for the two motors. and are arranged to be acted upon by the dynamic pressure of a pressure fluid flow which automatically varies with the rate or movement of the respective motors.

4. A machine tool comprising means for producing an air stream under constant pressure; a pattern adapted to cooperate with said fluid stream to partially interrupt said stream; a tool operativeiy connected to said air stream producing means; operating means connected to said tool and responsive to the pressure variations caused by a more or less partial interruption of the fluid stream by the pattern; means for causin; relative movement between the pattern and the fluid stream whereby the tool will duplicate the configuration of the pattern on a'work; and speed varying means, including control mechanism' operated by combined pressure impulses which are proportional to square functions of the speeds of the pattern and the tool and connected to control the movement of the pattern as a function of the rate of the movement of the tool, whereby the movement of the contour of the pattern along the fluid stream and the operating or cutting speed of the tool will be maintained constant.

5. A machine tool comprising a frame; a table slidably mounted on said frame and adapted to receive a work piece; a template adapted to be removably secured on the table; a double-acting piston having a cylinder mounted on the frame; a tool connected to and guided by the piston; a pair of opposed nozzles arranged in spaced relation and connected to the piston and tool, one of said nozzles receiving fluid under a constant pressure and projecting it as a stream of fluid into the other nozzle and into the path of the contour of the template; means for operatively connecting the said other nozzle with the cylinder, whereby variations in fluid pressure in said other nozzle, dependent upon a more or less projection of the template into the fluid stream, will cause adjustment of the piston and the work piece corresponding to the contour of the template; and means for moving and controlling the movement of the template relative to the rate of the u ding movement of the tool, including a control device responsive to combined impulses proportional to the squares of the speeds of the tool and the template, whereby the speed of movement of the contour of the template and the cutting rate of the tool on the work, to reproduce the contour of the template, will be maintained constant.

6. A machine tool according to claim 5, in which a jet pipe relay is provided intermediate the said other nozzle and the cylinder and is responsive to pressure variations in the said other nozzle to control the rate of movement of the tool.

7. A machine tool comprising means for producing a. fluid stream under constant pressure; a tool connected to said fluid stream producing means; a pattern having its contour intercepting a portion of the fluid stream; means for moving said pattern relative to the fluid stream; means for mounting said first-named means whereby the fluid stream will follow a floating guide action relative to the pattern, to adjust and guide the tool on the work, dependent upon the contour of the pattern; and automatic means for controlling 1 the movement of the pattern and the work as a function of the rate of movement of the tool to reproduce the contour of the pattern, said automatic means including a control device responslve to combined impulses proportional to the squares of the speeds of the tool and th pattern.

8. A machine tool according to claim 7, in which the means for moving said pattern ineludes a constant speed electric motor and the controlling means includes a variable speed drive gear operating the pattern moving means, which is adjusted as a function of the rate of movement of the tool.

9. A machine tool according to claim 7, in which the means for moving said pattern includes a constant speed electric motor and a variable speed regulator of which the regulator is adjusted by said controlling means; and in which the means for guiding the tool is actuated by an electric motor and a variable speed drive gear of which the last-mentioned regulator is adjusted by said controlling means.

10. A machine tool comprising a pair of opposed nozzles spaced apart to project and receive a fluid stream; a tool; a movable pattern cooperating with and having its contour projecting into the fluid stream; a hydraulic device for guiding the tool; means responsive to the pressure of the fluid in the receiving nozzle controlled by the pattern to operate the hydraulic device so that the tool will follow the contour of the pattern; and hydraulic means connected to control the rate of movement of the pattern with respect to the tool, including a control device responsive to combined impulses proportional to the squares of the speeds of the tool and the pattern, whereby the relative rate of movement of the contour of the pattern and the operating or cutting speed of the tool will be maintained constant.

11. A machine tool according to claim 10, in which means is provided to connect the pair of opposed nozzles with the hydraulic device, said means acting as a support for the tool.

HERBERT ZIEBOLZ. 

